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Sunday, August 17, 2014

Murchie Plus Books - August 10th to 16th

The premise: I love my dog. I love books. I've decided to combine the two by photographing my dog in front of every book I read (barring the stuff I get through Marvel Unlimited. Last week, that was lots of Marvel Cosmic stuff, with a particular emphasis on NOVA).

The photos: go live on Instagram as I take 'em and appear here in digest form on Sundays.

First off, I give you Shiri Eisner's BI: NOTES FOR A BISEXUAL REVOLUTION, a book I'm liable to be reading for quite some time. I had to buy it through Kindle rather than Kobo (fie on publishers who don't spread their sales across all retailers!), and my Kindle app isn't always willing to open in a timely fashion.

Never upgrade any of your apps on an older device. You're asking for a world of heartache.

Still, I've managed to make some progress on my phone, where Kindle is somewhat more cooperative (even if it does refuse to sync with my Kobo when I want it to, as opposed to whenever the hell it feels like it). It's a fascinating, academic take on a lesser-discussed sexuality, and I'm enjoying it very much.

I won Jaime Lee Moyer's Delia Martin books through a giveaway on Fantasy Cafe and began the first one, DELIA'S SHADOW, as soon as I broke free of the prison that was TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. It was exactly what I needed: Edwardian fantasy/horror with ghosts, a serial killer, and readable prose.

Murchie approved of it, too. He didn't shy away when I tucked it into bed next to him early on Sunday morning. In fact, he sniffed it with uncharacteristic interest. Could he be on the verge of accepting this books-and-photos thing?

You know, I think he is! He let me take a multitude photos of him beside A BARRICADE IN HELL, the sequel to DELIA'S SHADOW, and he didn't shy away or stop doing cute things (which: crossing his paws or sitting with his chin up) throughout the process. Even when we switched from the bed to the sheepskin rug, he maintained his professionalism and let me place the book upright beside him. Yeah, he's still a bit blurry--little dude's almost always moving his head--but he's getting there.

I doubt I'll review either A BARRICADE IN HELL or DELIA'S SHADOW, so let me say here that I enjoyed both books very much. I found that I wanted a little more from them as fantasies, but when I viewed them as mysteries with fantastical elements they were a ton of fun--assuming that's the right word for dark books packed with serial killers and the vengeful dead. Moyer delivers tense murder investigations, creepy-ass hauntings, and a spiritual mythology that gains a little more weight with each installment. I'm looking forward to the next book.

To give you a sense of Murchie's size, the Delia Martin books are in the smaller hardcover format Tor has gravitated towards of late. Murchie is tiny. He's about as tall as a standard hardcover, and I've read books that were heavier than he is. Hello, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS!

Haircut time! Murchie toddled off to the groomer's last Wednesday and came back considerably less fuzzy.

While Murchie loves his groomer, he's always a tad despondent the day after a haircut. I didn't want to bother him too much, so I propped the book behind him in bed and took a quick profile shot. With any luck, I'll catch him sitting up next week so y'all can get a proper feel for his shaved adorability.

The book--THORN by Intisar Khanani--came to me for review consideration after I expressed interest in it on Ana's mini review. I should have complete thoughts for you in the next couple of weeks, but for now I'll say I'm enjoying it very much.

Next week: another library book and maybe a chunkster, plus the usual complement of unpictured Marvel comics.

I am stupidly excited about Thorn, and Murchie is adorable with his new haircut. My poodle always comes back from a grooming in the highest of spirits and becomes completely unmanageable. Her whole brain is occupied by the word HOORAY, and it leaves no space for trifling things like "sit" and "stop jumping" and "please do not run into the road". Monster beast.

Aw! Murchie always has such low spirits for a day or two, though now that I think about it that's probably because he gets his glands drained at the same time. It's not a comfortable process for a tiny guy. He also had a checkup this time.

If you've ever said, "Hey, I wish I could acquire a new book and give Memory a tiny amount of money at the same time," you're in luck! That's exactly what'll happen if you purchase something through one of the handy-dandy graphical links below!

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